Wheelchair users may be required to be seated in a wheelchair for extended periods. It is important that the wheelchair provides sufficient padding for comfort and to assist in preventing injuries associated with being seated for long periods. It is also helpful if wheelchair seating can be customised to meet the requirements of individual wheelchair users, especially high needs users of wheelchairs who may also require contoured seating to assist with their positioning in a wheelchair. For example, asymmetric seating may be necessary to encourage some users to sit as upright as possible.
It is known to provide contoured seats for wheelchairs. However, such seats are typically manufactured on a case by case basis, meaning that each seat is made for the individual needs of its user. The resulting seat is labour intensive and is typically expensive as a result. Another drawback of bespoke manufacturing of wheelchair seats is that the user's needs can change over time as a result of growth (especially in the case of a child) or as a result of a change in posture. This means, that the user then requires another wheelchair seat to be made especially for their needs and must wait while the seat is being manufactured.
Known wheelchair seats allow cells to be detachably attached to a base, but the cells are not able to be freely located anywhere on the base and oriented in any position relative to the base. Instead, the cells are fitted within pockets attached to the base, the cells being shaped to fit within the pockets in a certain orientation. Alternatively, the base comprises attachment means, such as strips of a hook and loop fastener such as VELCRO™, in only some areas of the base so that the cells can only be attached to the base in these areas and the cells are shaped so that they can only be oriented in a certain position relative to the base.
PCT patent publication no EP 08/06303 discloses one form of cushioning system having a contoured surface to be used with the seat base of a wheelchair. In this system, a plurality of inserts are attached to the base of a wheelchair seat in a certain configuration. The inserts are typically wedge shaped and are designed to locate the user's legs in a predetermined position. A flexible foam cushion is positioned above the inserts, the cushion having an upper surface that is contoured by the shape of the inserts. However, the inserts are positioned on the seat base in a certain position and in a certain orientation. In addition, the inserts cannot be attached to each other or stacked upon each other. Furthermore, the cushioning system is suitable only for the seat base of a wheelchair. The system is not able to be used also as a cushioning system for a backrest or mattress.
It is an object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to go at least some way towards addressing the above needs or to at least provide a useful alternative to known cushioning systems.
The term “comprising” and derivatives thereof, such as “comprise” and “comprises”, if and when used herein in relation to a combination of features should not be taken as excluding the possibility that the combination may have further unspecified features. For example, a statement that an arrangement “comprises” certain parts does not mean that it cannot also, optionally, have additional parts. In other words, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, and similar words, are not to be interpreted in an exclusive or exhaustive sense. Instead, they are intended to mean “including, but not limited to.
Any reference to prior art documents in this specification is not to be considered an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.